Minnesota state officials don’t know squat about pot. But in time, they will.
The rules governing Minnesota’s medical cannabis program, which went out last week, are only a first draft based on conversations with other states and a review of relevant literature. They are an impressive one at that, but a best guess of what it takes to get off the ground in a crazy quick period of time.
| REDDIT NAME… |
| The tiny confines of the Space Bucket. |
Editor’s note: We realize the vast majority of marijuana users are living in places where growing cannabis is legal and people don’t have to hide. That in mind, we wanted to highlight a home-spun, stealth growing operation we thought was perfect for those of you who wanted to grow small amounts in places where cannabis cultivation is still frowned upon.
All you need to grow your own weed is a bucket and a dream. That’s the message behind “Space Buckets,” an innovative marijuana growing method designed with a tiny circular footprint. For about a hundred bucks, and a weeekend’s worth of work, you can build a microfarm that yields up to two ounces of herb at a time.
| Kevin Warn/OC Weekly. |
At approximately 8:30 p.m., Anaheim Fire Department responded to reports of an electrical fire at 1676 West Lincoln Ave. Five minutes later, according to Anaheim’s online crime map, marijuana cultivation was reported at the same site.
Read more about the fire over at the OC Weekly.
Wondering who has the best meds in Michigan? Who cultivates the chronic? The folks at High Times magazine held their Michigan Medical Marijuana Cannabis Cup this past weekend, crowning the top growers and hash makers in the state for their beautiful buds.
Who took home the top prizes? Read on below for the list.
| Flickr Commons |
| Homegrown Lemon Kush |
Stretching from the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, all the way to the western Arizona border, Riverside County in California’s Inland Empire has been rapidly rising in the ranks of the most populous counties in the entire nation.
In an almost synchronized timeline of events, the population explosion in Riverside County coincided with the massive growth of medical marijuana demand in the region, and local growers soon found the Mediterranean-esque climate to be more than adequate for growing their own crops. However, a newly proposed county-wide ordinance would put an outright ban on outdoor cultivation of cannabis.
The exact cost of a marijuana raid in America is hard to put an accurate estimate on. The first, and most important, question is, “the cost to whom?” Besides their livelihood, their reputation in the community, and even one’s freedom, the financial costs of a marijuana raid can be overwhelming to the suspect – whether they are ultimately found guilty, or not.
As marijuana goes more mainstream, however, state and local law enforcement officials are looking to revise their own decades-old procedures when it comes to busting weed growers, before their own departments’ budgets get flipped upside down by pot cultivation cases gone bad.
When a Colorado community doesn’t want a marijuana cultivation warehouse, some people assume that the area is anti-pot and, therefore, anti-Colorado. However, one Boulder farming community is fighting a battle against marijuana that has nothing to do with any stereotypes about the plant.
Paul Cure of Cure Organic Farms has spent the last ten years building up a certified organic farm with his wife, Anne. To be certified organic by the government, the Cures had to pay thousands of dollars in fees and maintain strict requirements on their growing and handling of food.
It took nearly a decade to come up with the funds, but it took just a couple of days for Forest Service crews to remove one and a half tons of garbage from a remote location in the heart of Arizona referred to as the Fossil Springs Wilderness.
Populated by evergreen trees and crystal clear watering holes, and featuring breathtaking vistas at nearly every turn, the area does see its share of hikers. But the “PACK IN, PACK OUT” mentality of most outdoor enthusiasts keeps the area clean, and the habitat as natural as possible.
How then could 1.5 tons of trash sit around out there for nine years? And who the hell left it there?
| VH HAMMER/FlickrCommons |
Earlier this year, on February 7th, President Barack Obama signed a new farm bill, backed by a rare display of bipartisan politicking. Originally introduced by cannabis-friendly Congressmen Jared Polis (D – CO), Earl Blumenauer (D – OR), and Thomas Massie (R – KY), the bill contained a very special amendment. For the first time in decades, the federal government had made an allowance for the cultivation of hemp. The hemp caveat only applies to states that have passed their own form of hemp legalization, and Massie’s Kentucky is one of those states.
Also from the Commonwealth of Kentucky is Republican Senator Rand Paul, who has made clear his support for hemp cultivation in the state. The senior Senator from Kentucky and possible-Sleestack Mitch McConnell was reported to be instrumental in making sure that the bill that the president signed retained the hemp growing amendment.
Kentucky was poised to re-establish its roots in a hemp trade that flourished in the state until it was banned by the federal government in 1937. Today, however, the state finds itself embroiled in a lawsuit against the federal government, and their first hemp harvest hangs in the balance.
| ChristopherHunt/Flickr |
In 2009, wildlife disease expert Dr. Mourad Gabriel was doing field research high in the Sierra mountain range, not far from Yosemite National Park, when he came upon a dead Pacific fisher. The long, slender, weasel-like rodent did not appear to be the victim of any sort of predator attack, showing no outward signs of distress, damage, or disease. But when Gabriel and his team got the animal back to the lab for further inspection, they found its chest cavity completely full of blood.
Up until that point, the researchers had never seen or heard of anything like it. In late January of this year, one of Gabriel’s family dogs, a black lab by the name of Nyxo, was found dead at the doctor’s home in Arcata, in northern California. When his pet was cut open to determine the cause of its sudden and mysterious death, it too had a chest cavity engulfed in blood. Now as Julie Cart reports for the LA Times, Dr. Gabriel is speaking out.